Kazuya Aoi
Kazuya Aoi is the male protagonist of the Freezing series. He is the younger brother of the late Pandora Kazuha Aoi, and grandson of Gengo Aoi (the creator of the Pandora's, Limiters, and Stigmata). He is a Limiter enrolled at West Genetics Academy, and is (unofficially) partnered with Satellizer L. Bridget. Background Kazuya Aoi is the younger brother of the late Kazuha Aoi, the hero of the 8th Nova Clash, and the grandson of Gengo Aoi, the chief scientist of the Chevalier and the creator of the Pandora's, Limiters, and Stigmata. Appearance He's physically unimpressive, with short black hair and brown eyes. Like all Limiters seen so far, he has a slender build. He's usually seen in the traditional West Genetics uniform but dresses in casual cloths and the Limiter combat uniform when the situation warrants it. He is seen as "cute" by a few of the girls in school. Personality Kazuya is a kind boy who doesn't like to bad-mouth others and cares deeply for his friends, qualities that eventually get the aphephobic Satellizer L. Bridget (who is shunned by others due to her past and rumours of her ruthless behaviours) to warm up to him. He is serious when Satella becomes injured in fights and tries to stop them on his own. Kazuya hates all unnecessary combat, especially between allies. Despite his kindness, or perhaps because of it, he reacts extremely aggressively when others act cruel and callous towards each other. This is seen when he Freezes the thugs assaulting Rana and Hiiragi and knocks one of them out with one punch, and again when he strikes Ingrid across the face to make her truly understand her friends' final words. He is also rather intelligent and perceptive, recognizing a group of thugs for who they were after a few minutes of interacting with them, and being able to adeptly read many situations he is confronted with. He still retains a certain amount of naiveté especially when it comes to personal/physical relationships like he has with Satella. His kindness comes with a high amount of what can be termed "chivalry". He is always polite and respectful to everyone, especially females. He tries his best to respect Satella's feelings and personal space, even suppressing his own physical desires on numerous occasions and berating himself for having them in the first place. He also seeks to remain formal and respectful with Rana, despite the latter's' efforts to be informal and intimate with him, as seen when he tried to keep the massage he was giving her for her new arms professional and platonic. These traits have made him allies and friends with almost everyone he has met, or at least earned their respect. However after the revelation of his origin and his connection to the Legendary Pandora, Kazuya begins to have a mental break down, becoming angry and abrasive to everyone around him, including Satella who he rejects out of fear and anger. He has shown to become sullen and withdrawn, not saying anything when he and the Legendary Pandora are escorted through town, and even averting his eyes from Satella when they almost look at each other. Story Introductory Arc Kazuya arrives at West Genetics where he mistakes Satellizer L. Bridget (who was fighting against Ganessa Roland at the time) for his dead sister. Lost in the delusion, Kazuya embraces Satellizer, which in effect causes her to lose a fight during the Carnival. 3rd Year Punishment Arc To be added Rana Introductory Arc To be added 3rd Year Retaliation Arc To be added 10th Nova Clash To be added Siblings Arc To be added E-Pandora Project Arc To be added E-Pandora Rebellion Arc To be added 11th Nova Clash To be added Student Presidency Duel Arc Kazuya appears on the plane ride back to West Genetics with Rana and Satellizer. When news of duel between Arnett and Ticy reaches the ears of the West Genetics student body, Kazuya is one of the many to watch the rivalry unfold. He along with most is surprised with Ticy's new look to honour Chiffon. When Satellizer goes to congratulate Ticy on her victory over Arnett, Kazuya is with her and is surprised at Ticy's threat to punish Satellizer if she were to cause any more trouble. Valkyrie Introduction Arc The next day, Kazuya comes up to Satellizer, trying to ignore the increasingly tense situation between the Valkyrie and Pandora members of Team 13. He asks her to come with him so they could've spoken elsewhere. There, he tells her of the invitation from his grandfather to come to his house. He tried to say it wasn't mandatory, yet Satellizer insisted, saying it was a great honour to have finally met Dr. Aoi in person. Kazuya was awed at how Pandora's held his grandfather in such high esteem. He noted she looked very nervous, and he began to feel the same way. Later in the day, they stood together outside the Aoi residence. Satellizer asked if her necklace was too flashy, though Kazuya said it was fine. He told her not to worry, that despite his status, Gengo Aoi was a normal grandfather, and simply told her to act like her normal self. Satellizer looked encouraged, and vowed to do just that. Inside the living room, both were respectfully on their knees before the world-renowned Nova researcher. Just outside, Su-Na Lee announced dinner would've been ready soon, and to have kept their conversation short. Kazuya was surprised to have seen the Team 13 leader there, and was at a loss to have explained her presence. Gengo replied she helped around the house on her days off, and that he'd hired her to work for him while in the United States. When Kazuya heard that Su-Na was basically acting as a household servant, it made him reconsider his view of Gengo as a normal grandfather. He watched as his grandfather examined Satellizer's face closely, and when he noted she looked more like a puppy than a fox, Kazuya thought it wasn't a good comparison. He listened as Gengo reminisced about when he first met Howard L. Bridget, his description of him annoyed Kazuya. However, he found himself surprised when his grandfather's spoke of how Satellizer's demeanour was just like her mother's. When the Untouchable Queen tried to say Violet was more like her mother, Gengo elaborated by saying he was referring to her real mother, Noelle Alongrutch. Kazuya was silently shocked that Gengo knew so much about his partner's background, and was a bit put out at him for mentioning it then. When asked if he knew, Kazuya retorted by saying Satellizer's background had nothing to do with why he wanted her as his partner. He liked her a person, yet he didn't speak it aloud. When asked if it was because he wanted the backing of the L. Bridget family, Kazuya vehemently denied it. He got really peeved when Gengo insinuated it was because he was interested in her large breasts, saying he was always like that. Kazuya verbally lashed out to him, saying he was headed back to the academy, much to Gengo's disbelief. At the train station, Kazuya apologized for what happened at the house. But Satellizer insisted she was happy about finally meeting his grandfather, and asked to be invited over again. As she headed for her train, Kazuya was amazed, and grateful that his partner was so dignified. Later, after he'd returned to the house, Gengo brought him to the study and ordered him to drink, granting him his permission as his legal guardian. Kazuya opted for juice instead, and added it wasn't the ideal place for drinking, since it would've made a mess of the room. Gengo snapped at him, saying there was nothing wrong with drinking in the study. When he mentioned his preferred way of drinking, Kazuya found it very strange, and planned to clean up afterwards. His grandfather snapped at him again, pushing his wineglass right into his face. Gengo asked if he was trying to make him sad, which startled the Japanese youth. He was asked if he still hated him for what happened to Kazuha. The younger Aoi looked away for a moment, and finally replied that even if he didn't say it, his grandfather already knew the answer. After a long stare, he watched as Gengo began to imbibe an entire bottle, straight from the tap. Kazuya protested worriedly, thinking he was drinking too much for his age. The elder Aoi asked why he was so worried, since he hated him so much. "Is he still a child," Kazuya thought to himself. He watched as the heavily inebriated Gengo rose to his feet, claiming he was glad to be hated if it made Kazuya feel better. He finished by saying when he saw what happened to Kazuha, he bitterly hated his decision, but he didn't regret it. The freshman was startled that his grandfather had revealed so much. He watched as Gengo walked by a bookcase and then collapsed, which knocked a few books to the floor. Su-Na immediately ran inside, and tended to the unconscious doctor. Kazuya offered to clean up the study, and Su-Na entrusted him with the task and she helped Gengo up to his bedroom. Alone, Kazuya grumbled about how his grandfather was always causing trouble for others. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a photo album on the floor. Once was done cleaning, he sat down and began flipping through the pages. He was amazed as he saw it was an old-fashioned album, filled with photographs rather than digital images. He was amazed his grandfather actually had one in his possession. He came across an image of his father and his grandmother, and wondered why Gengo had never shared it with him. He saw another photo, which showed a group of scientists, dated October 15, 2053. In the picture he saw one woman that looked like Scarlett Ohara, the currently disgraced Nova researcher. At the bottom right of the photo was the text "For the future of mankind, Lab 13." In the next photo were five young women, three of them unrecognisable since the top right part of the photo had been torn off. The text blow it read: "May 16, 2022. The girls of Lab 13." His eyes went wide in shock, as the woman on the far left looked remarkably like Chiffon Fairchild, all the way down to the ribbon in her hair. He was even more shocked, as he had no idea his grandfather was acquainted with his late senpai. But he couldn't have made out the others, since the photo had been torn. He then double-checked the date, and realized the photo had been taken over forty years before, which signified to him that the woman in question couldn't have been his deceased upperclassman. He found himself at a loss, baffled by what he'd been reading. On the next page were pictures of five sisters, four of them being torn out. The only one remaining was that of the frighteningly familiar woman in the previous page. His eyes went wide as he read the text on the page: "Will the visitor be hope or despair? It's just like that Pandora's Box." He considered the five women he'd seen before, and theorized if they actually were Pandora's, then the one he'd seen earlier could've been Chiffon. As he pondered the issue, he quickly corrected himself, as he knew even Pandora's aged. He realized if they could've lived forty years without ageing, then they possibly could've been another kind of human. What he'd read in the photo album left him frustrated. "What is in grandfather's head?!" he exclaimed. "A brain of course," a voice replied from the doorway. Kazuya gasped, and saw Su-Na Lee had returned. The strongest Chevalier explained that while Gengo's brain looked the same as theirs, its make-up was probably very different. As Kazuya thought about what he'd read in the photo album, he found himself agreeing with his instructor, as he closed it shut. He apologized to his instructor, and then excused himself, headed for a good night's sleep. He's next seen with Satellizer, Rana, Cassie, and Roxanne, as they greet Charles after she's released from prison. He watches as Roxanne and Charles spar verbally once more, which causes the latter to turn away. When asked to apologize to her victim, Charles snapped at her why she should have even considered it. "You don't need to apologize," a newcomer's voice spoke up from behind. "In place of an apology, I would like to ask you a question. Please answer it." Everyone turned in its direction, and Kazuya and Satellizer were especially shocked, for they recognized her as their former antagonist, Ingrid Bernstein. Kazuya watched, as Ingrid appeared with Creo Brand, who confront Charles. The two angry Pandora are intercepted by Roxanne and Cassie, but Arnett dispatches them both and duels Charles in a competition of Accel and Tempest Turns. Satellizer attempts to stop the fight, but Charles and Arnett keep fighting until Ticy intervenes personally. Kazuya watches Arnett slap away Satella when she tries to explain her actions against Team Arnett. That night, Kazuya goes to Satellizer's room, and he says that he believed Satellizer was right to stop the battle, and she should not regret what she did. Things get quiet and Satellizer goes to shower, Kazuya only capable of thinking perverse thoughts. Meanwhile, a figure comes from the balcony and ties up Kazuya after shutting off the lights. When Satellizer gets out of the shower, "Kazuya" orders Satella to twirl and act like a dog, only for "Kazuya" to be Rana, pulling a prank and preventing any heated actions between the British Pandora and her Limiter. Kazuya chastises Rana, but the two girls agree they are trying to get ahead of Ouka and will not be beaten by her for Kazuya's affection. Later, Kazuya, Rana, and Satella overhear some Pandora mocking Platoon 13 due to the scandalous acts of Charles and the special treatment the contingent receives. Satellizer promptly leaves the table, and that night Kazuya thinks about it himself until he sees Lucy Renault atop one of the buildings looking at the moon. Lucy comes down to him, as if she can teleport, and Kazuya believes she performed the Illusion Turn; however, he believes Lucy to be a Valkyrie and thus unable to use the standard High End Skills. Kazuya mentions Chiffon, prompting a response out of Lucy. Kazuya goes on about the deceased Pandora, but he feels he's talking to a brick wall. When he begins to turn away, Lucy says Kazuya is her "sister." Kazuya is visibly uncomfortable and Lucy kisses him, transferring all of her memories of Lab 13 and the original Pandora Project. The experience leaves Kazuya coughing on the ground when Ouka appears. She immediately pushes Lucy away from Kazuya and tends to her cousin, but Lucy disappears when Ouka comes back to confront her. In Ouka's room, Ouka relays the mysterious air around Lucy after Kazuya denies that anything happened. Kazuya maintains the response after the discussion and Ouka decides to trust her cousin. 12th Nova Clash Kazuya is present with the rest of his Platoon 13 contingent at the beginning of the joint training exercise with Roxanne acting as their leader. When the exercise begins, Kazuya is shown setting up a Freezing field, which allows the Pandora and the Valkyrie to take out the dummy Nova. However, the Nova is still active and emits the same sensation Chiffon released before her death at the Alaska Base. The sensation takes over the Pandora, as black smoke is emitted onto the training site. Satellizer begins to attack what Kazuya sees a fog and is shocked to see that Satellizer has lost a limb for the first time. As she collapses, Kazuya panics and is relieved to see that she is still alive. Platoon 13 gets separated, and Kazuya stays with Satellizer as she gets up, vowing to never lose. Kazuya pleads to the blond Pandora to not allow the Stigmata to control her, but Satellizer regenerates her arms and Novalizes, slapping away Kazuya and knocking him unconscious. Satellizer's battle with the illusion of Kazuha Aoi reaches a climax and she initiates her newest attack Nova Strike, declaring her will to be with Kazuya always and for the deceased Pandora to disappear. However, her Volt Weapon pierces Kazuya's heart when the boy regains consciousness. Kazuya realizes that Satellizer was worrying of matching up to Kazuha's prowess as a Pandora and her place in Kazuya's heart. But the Japanese Limiter assured Satellizer that he loves her just the way she is. Kazuya then kisses Satellizer for the first time and collapses. Satellizer unleashes an emotional outcry that allows her to transcend as a Pandora, and grants her healing abilities that restores Kazuya's body. Before the illusion of Kazuha disappears, Kazuya states that was truly his sister, who has transcended just like Satellizer. The two the get back on their feet onto the battlefield where they see a bright light and six wings. Rana emerges from the light, having transcended like Satella. Off-screen, the two Pandora re-establish the Volt Texture on their clothing and the three track down Charles and Arnett. When they arrive, Rana bashes a Nova that is trying to eat Charles. Kazuya watches as Rana toys with the Nova before three others come to fight, dropping Charles as well. When one of them gets Rana into its Freezing, Kazuya easily disrupts it with an Omnidirectional Freezing. Rana and Satellizer defeat the beasts, but Charles tells them they all must get back to Roxanne. Kazuya and the Pandora arrive to Roxanne's location, where she has been soundly defeated and turned into a slave by the Nova Commander. Satellizer puts down Kazuya, and the Limiter must watch as the Pandora fight Roxanne, which culminates in Rana preparing to kill her with her new abilities. With a shout from Charles, Roxanne regains consciousness, but she resorts to suicide to no longer harm her fellow Pandora. Rana and Satellizer attack, but an Illusion Turn from the Nova forces them to realize that they are no match for the otherworldly creature. When Satellizer is blasted by a silent wave of the Nova's hand, Kazuya tends to her. He believes the Nova's shield is impervious, but Satellizer says she notices flaws in the armour, and plans to take advantage of it. After asking Kazuya to get back, Satellizer has Rana and Arnett buy her time to charge her Accel, and Kazuya notes that she is burning. Satellizer accelerates faster than a "Sextuple Accel" and decapitates the Nova in a perfectly timed attack. However, Satellizer is incapacitated from the weight of her own attack. The contingent believe they have won, but the Nova reforms its head, revealing its true face and cutting down Arnett. Rana is too taken out, and the Nova prepares to kill Satellizer and Kazuya who are huddled together, preparing for death. But a cheerful woman teleports to their location upon the orders of Gengo Aoi. Kazuya recognizes the woman from a picture he found at his grandfather's house, and realizes she is a part of Gengo's research. The warhammer-wielding maiden is unflinching at the wounded Pandora around her and assures them that they will not longer feel pain. A glow from her hammer heals Arnett and Satellizer's wounds, restores Charles and Rana's arms, and completely restores Roxanne's body to life. Everyone is shocked at the developments, but Kazuya and Satellizer are wary of the smiling Pandora, her name revealed to be Windy May. The group watched as the Nova Commander blasted the newcomer flush in the face, which shocked them to no end. They were even more shocked when they saw their saviour was all but completely unharmed by the attack. Kazuya then watched as the pink-haired woman retaliated with a crushing attack with her maul, which knocked off half of the Nova Commander's body and essentially ended her. Kazuya and the Pandora's trembled at the woman's power, but she assured Kazuya at least that they were family when Cassandra, Teslad, and Lucy arrived. Kazuya and the others are surprised to find that Lucy is a Pandora, and Windy alerts Cassandra to Kazuya. The blond woman reaches out to Kazuya, but he along with Rana and Satellizer are too terrified to move. Cassandra surprises them all by embracing Kazuya into her chest. Jealous, Rana and Satellizer pull Kazuya away from her. Kazuya's grandfather and direct superior, Su-Na, arrive on the scene by helicopter. He boldly announces the strength of the four Pandora as well as them being related to Kazuya by blood. Busters Arc Kazuya's first appearance in the arc is in his bed, where he finds one of the Legendary Pandora. Moreover, he found his hand upon her breast, which frightened him to no end. Later, he demands an explanation from his grandfather about his connection to them, and learns that he is related by blood to Maria Lancelot. and how he will be a leader of the Pandora's along with the legendary Pandora's, and that he should keep Satella around. This angers and frightens enough that he runs away questioning his own humanity, even shouting at Satella and Rana to stay away from them when they run into him. Outside the facility, he then has a conversation with Lucy about his definition of what a human is when he shouts at her that she's nothing but a duplicate of Maria. She goes on to tell him that he is a precious existence to them, especially Cassandra. Abilities Stigma Body Unlike most Limiters who need to establish an Ereinbar Set with their Pandora's to enable their Freezing (which must first be done with a Baptism), Kazuya can cast Freezing on his own, the reason being more than 30% of his body is composed of Stigma tissue. This makes him an ideal Limiter for Satellizer since she refuses to be baptised. It also comes in handy in dealing with other non-Nova hostiles. Enhanced Freezing With more than 30% of his body composed of Stigma Tissue, Kazuya's regular Freezing is stronger than most Limiters'. It easily neutralized the Freezing of other Limiters and even the combined Freezing of Miyabi's three Limiters. But this does not automatically make Kazuya the strongest Limiter. His Freezing was just as easily neutralized by Julia Munberk's Limiter. Kazuya also apparently does not have complete control of his Freezing as shown when he 'froze' a friendly Chiffon while he only intended to immobilize a Nova-Resonating Satellizer and Rana. Omnidirectional Freezing In addition to his already enhanced Freezing, Kazuya's Freezing can also be Omnidirectional, an ability that was thought to be limited to Novas. Under Eugene's guidance, Kazuya was able to use his Omnidirectional Freezing to enter Satellizer's and Rana's mind and restore their human consciousness from the control of the Nova. But Kazuya still subjected to fatigue and may even collapse from exhaustion after using such a powerful level of Freezing. In the finale of the anime, he can also establish a very powerful Ereinbar Set without being baptised as evident when he un-froze all the Pandora's and established a temporary Ereinbar Set with them at the Ravensbourne Nucleotide. Physical Strength Though barely shown, Kazuya has shown to be stronger than his slender build implies. When he froze the thugs assaulting Rana and Hiiragi, he walked up and punched the one holding Arthur in the face so hard it knocked him out in one blow. He also showed that he has above average endurance. He was able to take Satella's Nova-fied strike straight through the chest, and stay conscious long enough to pull her out of her delusion. He was also able to take a severe beating from Louis and stay not only conscious, but coherent. Relationships Satellizer L. Bridget He becomes Satellizer's Limiter despite not performing the Baptism. Through standing up to what he believes in, he gets Satellizer to open up to him. Later in the series she is mostly cured of her aphephobia thanks to Kazuya, however on certain occasions she still shows signs of it. He regularly shows his affection and care toward her, and often tells her he loves her and want's to spend his life with her, often causing her to blush in embarrassment. However, the revelation of his origins and his grandfathers comments have caused him to reject and withdraw from her as he deals with these new revelations. Rana Linchen Rana Linchen, previously naive, firmly believes that Kazuya is her "soul-mate". She is constantly approaching Kazuya and Satellizer, as she is intent on performing a Baptism with Kazuya, who has not yet done so with Satellizer, even though they are supposedly a pair. Kazuha Aoi Kazuha was Kazuya's older sister and a Pandora who died sacrificing her life to defeat a Nova in the 8th Nova Clash. She bears a striking resemblance to Satellizer, and Kazuya easily mistook Satellizer for his late sister when he first sees her. Gengo Aoi Grandfather of Kazuha and Kazuya. He's very strict in his ways and may seem cold-hearted but still cares for people and the well-being of the world. Arthur Crypton Arthur is Kazuya's room mate at West Genetics, partnered with Ganessa Roland. Early in the series, he constantly warns Kazuya to stay away from Satellizer because of her reputation, but Kazuya frequently ignores his warnings. He earns Arthur's gratitude by saving him from being held at gunpoint. They may be each other's best friends at Genetics. Kaho Hiiragi Hiiragi is the class representative of Kazuya's class. She is also Kazuya's first female friend at Genetics. She gave him a warm welcome along with the advice to stay away from Satella. She sought to keep him away from her and keep him out of trouble, especially when the fight with Ingrid broke out. However when he expressed his determination to stand behind "the Untouchable Queen" no matter what, she backed off. Cassie Lockheart Cassie is one of the Pandora's from [[]]East Genetics, where Satellizer previously was enrolled at. Kazuya first meets her during the invasion of the Nova Form Pandora from East Genetics, in which she was also one of them. Louis L. Bridget Louis is Satellizer's half brother. He is responsible for making Satellizer into a "heartless" woman, and is also responsible for her fear of being touched in any way (aphephobia). Kazuya first meets him at one of the L. Bridget resorts. Ouka Tenjouin Kazuya's maternal cousin and fiancée. She is protective and proprietary of him, especially in regards to being her fiancée, and takes pleasure in Kazuya's withdrawal from Satella, believing that he is finally breaking up with her. Chiffon Fairchild Kazuya had a good relationship with the President. She is the one who greeted him when he first arrived at West Genetics, and was surprised by her kindness and independence. Kazuya also considered her to be very pretty when he first met her. After her death, it is revealed that she was one of the "Legendary Pandora," along with being his aunt. Lucy Renault Kazuya was the first person Lucy talked to since she arrived at West Genetics. At first he believes she's one of the Valkyries, but then learns after the 12th Nova Clash that she's actually a "Legendary Pandora," as well as his aunt. They clashed verbally after his argument with Gengo, though she insisted that regardless of how he saw them, his existence was nonetheless precious to them. Cassandra Revealed to be one of the "Legendary Pandora", as well as being a kin of his blood. Cassandra possess extreme motherly instincts toward him, even forcing him to try feeding from the breast, the first time they met in the Buster Arc. She becomes agitated when other girls attempt to get near him. Windy May One of the "Legendary Pandora," and the first he recognizes as such. Kazuya feels the most at ease around Windy, as she acts the most human of his aunts. Teslad Revealed to be one of the "Legendary Pandora," as well as being a kin of his blood. He has trouble connecting with her because of her stubborn refusal to talk. Trivia *Kazuya and Satellizer made a brief cameo appearance in chapter 18 of The Phantom King manhwa. Lim and Yoon wrote and illustrated The Phantom King prior to them creating Freezing: Zero.The Phantom King manhwa; Volume 4, Chapter 18 References Category:Character Category:Limiter Category:Lab 13